Lost
by kthrace09
Summary: Shortly after Kara returns from Caprica, Lee and her are scouting out several planetary systems when something unexpected happens. ...NOT MINE...
1. Chapter 1

**This story is not mine **

**Title**: Lost

**Author**: Lisa Ide

**Rating**: M+

**Archiving**: BSG2003/ApolloStarbuckFic, anyone else just let me know :D 

**Spoilers**: S1 through Kobol's Last Gleaming, part 2

**Summary:** Kara and Lee crash on a desert island. Fair warning—lots of shmoop:D

**Disclaimer**: They belong to Ron Moore, NBC and Sci-fi but Ron said we could play with them, so please don't sue. J I'm just borrowing them and I promise, I'll put them back when I'm done… :D

* * *

Kara Thrace couldn't believe it. That bastard CAG had pulled her off of Vipers and put her on Raptor patrol! She had gotten out of the infirmary only to find out that she was gong to be reassigned to something she hated! She knew he was still mad about Gaius but this was ridiculous. The only reason to put her on Raptor patrol was punishment and he could not have picked a better way to get even. She was pouting. She belonged on Vipers. She was, after all, Galactica's best pilot – Lee Adama included. He could have put any of the other pilots on the patrol. To pull the great Starbuck off of Vipers to fly Raptors was an insult! 

Kara zipped up her flight suit, dreading the flight to come. Being in a craft that couldn't fight back if they were attacked made her nervous. At least in a Viper she had a chance. If they were not attacked, then she would be bored – very bored. The first thing she was going to do after her shift was kick Lee's ass. Kara did not care anymore how mad he was! He did not have a claim on her and she just could not understand why he had gotten all bent out of shape about the incident – is wasn't like he returned her feeling!

* * *

By the time Kara climbed into the Raptor to begin the pre-flight checklist she was furious and seeing Captain Tightass himself already aboard the ship didn't make her any happier. 

"Is there something you need, _sir_?" she ground out.

"I'm on this flight with you, Lieutenant."

What? She was stunned. He sounded just as upset as she was. Well, it serves him right for giving her this assignment in the first place! She suppressed an ironic giggle and didn't respond.

"What? Nothing to say, Lieutenant? Have we finally found a way to render the great Starbuck speechless?" Yup, he was irritated all right.

"No, sir. It's just...well…ironic…"

He grunted and moved to the co-pilot's seat. They still were not really getting along since she had returned from Caprica. In fact, Kara had been intentionally ignoring him. Lee apparently wasn't ready to deal with the explosive confrontation they had before she left and sleeping with Baltar was a mistake she was trying desperately to forget. Gaius was the last person she wanted.

She wanted to blame the tryst on Lee for not fighting to be at her side during the Colonial Day celebration. They had danced briefly but Baltar cut in all too soon and Lee left. The next thing she remembered clearly was crying out Lee's name and realizing that it was actually Gaius she was with. She wanted Lee that night but he seemed inaccessible and Baltar had been so willing. She wanted to leave the loneliness behind, if only just for the night and now she would probably regret it the rest of her life.

It seemed that Lee would never forgive her. Even here in the cockpit, about to embark on a mission together, he was stone silent. She knew that he had been avoiding her as well since she had gotten back. He spoke to her only when necessary and in clipped tones even then. She could not understand what his problem was. There had never been a commitment between them, he didn't even talk to her gently. He was always teasing her for one thing or another. In fact, the teasing about her dirty uniform had spurred her to wear a dress to the Colonial Day celebration instead.

Now she was destined to spend several hours in a cockpit with a man who could not stand her. Well, it was going to be a long flight. She would just keep her eyes straight ahead and only talk to him when it was absolutely necessary. She would get through this flight just to prove that he could not get to her that easily.

The Chief interrupted her thoughts just then with some last minute items for them to check. She responded automatically. This was going to be a very long flight.

"Are you ready, sir?"

This sir stuff was beginning to get on her nerves. She really missed the camaraderie they had before. At least they had been friends then. Now he was curt, bordering on rude.

"Yes," he snapped.

Kara sighed, what was he doing on this mission in the first place? The assignment was obviously a punishment but she couldn't fathom what he would be doing on the same mission. She sat quietly as he spoke to flight control over the radio and closed the cockpit door. This was definitely going to be a very long flight. Lee was going to be unbearable. They were towed out to the launch bay and she could not wait to get underway so they could get this over with.

* * *

After two uneventful hours and several planetary systems, Lee broke the silence. 

"Contact. It looks like this system has at least one planet with an atmosphere, possibly habitable. We should go in for a closer look."

"Sounds good." She changed their course to take them to the most promising planet.

"Looks like an oxygen rich atmosphere, water, vegetation…" Lee drifted off, studying his equipment closely. Kara pulled on the stick a little harder to keep them in orbit.

"Captain, we seem to be drifting closer to the planet."

* * *

**Chapter 2 will be up shortly...**


	2. Chapter 2

**And we are continuing on...

* * *

**

_"Looks like an oxygen rich atmosphere, water, vegetation…" Lee drifted off, studying his equipment closely. Kara pulled on the stick a little harder to keep them in orbit._

_"Captain, we seem to be drifting closer to the planet."_

* * *

Kara pulled up again in an attempt of level off. It was getting more difficult to fight the planet's gravity. She was not alarmed yet but she was beginning to feel nervous. It seemed like they were moving further into the atmosphere with every orbit. The Raptor was maintaining position for now but she wondered how much fuel the extra pull was taking.

"Frak! Cylon raider patrol headed straight toward us!" Lee yelled, shattering Kara's thoughts.

"How long 'til they're on us?" She spotted the ship through the Raptor's windshield.

"Probably about a minute but I think they've already spotted us!"

A shot blazed across the nose of the Raptor.

"Frak!" She took evasive action and dove into the atmosphere. It proved to be a mistake. Another shot destroyed the tail of the Raptor as the gravity sucked them deeper into the atmosphere. "We're going down!"

" Krypter-krypter-krypter! Galactica, Apollo. Raptor 643 going down!"

"It's no use, Lee, they're not going to hear you! Prepare for combat landing!" She brought the ship down into the atmosphere, adjusting their trajectory to avoid burning up due to friction and heat. She pulled harder on the control stick trying to maintain the Raptor in a smooth descent.

"We're low on fuel! Fighting the gravity must have used the fuel quicker that we thought!" Lee shouted over the clamor of the alarm bells going off all around them.

"Frak!" Kara pulled harder on the stick, looking frantically for a place to land now that they had cleared the cloud cover. It look as thought they were over an ocean of some sort. Wait! She spotted a landmass in the distance. If she could just keep them above the surface a little… further…

The Raptor hit the surface of the water with a loud bang and immediately began to sink. Lee released his harness and turned to open the hatch.

"Are you okay?" he yelled over the gurgling sounds of the sinking Raptor. "We're going to have to swim for it!"

Kara pulled at her restraint but it would not release.

"I think I'm okay but I can't… get…out!" She struggled with the harness, trying to free herself. Lee fumbled for the knife in his pack and rushed to cut her out. "Go, Lee! You can't get me out fast enough!" He ignored her and kept cutting at the harness until she could pull free. Half of the ship had sunk below the surface and water was beginning to fill the cabin. The air in the cockpit seemed to be keeping them buoyant for now.

Lee knew the Raptor would sink like a rock as soon as he opened the hatch. He turned to Kara, "Is your helmet still sealed?"

"Yeah, I think," Lee pulled her toward the door.

"Good. Hold on then." He hoped the Raptor had enough power to blow the escaped hatch. He hit the button. The door popped free and water came crashing in, sweeping them to the front of the cockpit. He grabbed her hand and fought the drenching current to pull them to the opening door. The ship was sinking faster now. He managed to grab the edge of the hatchway. If he could just…pull…them…free…

Lee's arm strained at the tremendous energy it took to pull him and Kara free. She clung to him and when they cleared the hatchway, she braced her feet and pushed them free of the sinking hull. He let go of her then and they made their way to the surface. Thank the gods for airtight helmets!

They broke the water's surface within seconds of each other and immediately began pulling off their helmets. Kara looked around for the landmass she had seen from the air, hoping they were close.

"Lee…" was all she could manage. She was out of breath from their swim to the surface. She looked in the direction of the land right as he spotted it.

"Yeah, I see it. Do you want to try to swim for it or rest for a few minutes?" She gave him a dirty look, hating that he had heard her breathlessness.

"Come on, Kara, drop the attitude! It's not like I can't hear that you're out of breath and we have to get along at least until we can get ourselves of this rock."

She softened a little but was disturbed that he knew her so well. She was not fully recovered from her little trip to Caprica, which was probably why he had put her on this assignment in the first place. She still had no idea why he was here.

* * *

"All right, we can rest for a few minutes…" Lee sighed at the defeat in her voice. He had not intended to insult her, he was just concerned. He had no idea what had happened to her on Caprica but she had looked battered.

She had accomplished the mission and found the Arrow of Apollo. She had also brought back Helo and another Sharon, which complicated matters aboard Galactica immensely. With Commander Adama wounded, Colonel Tigh was forced to release President Roslin. He had no intention of trying to command the fleet and run the civilian government at the same time so he had relented. President Roslin repaid him by agreeing to put off returning to Kobol until the Commander was in stable condition.

While they were waiting to return to Kobol, it took very little for Lee to convince Tigh to keep scouting for resources. It took a little more for Lee to convince him that Kara was the pilot he needed to send. With Sharon effectively out of commission they needed a pilot and Kara needed a job. She would not recover as well without something to do and the doc didn't think she should be in a Viper yet. To convince Tigh to approve the assignment, Lee agreed to go along and keep an eye on her.

Kara had not looked happy when she learned she had been put on this patrol and had looked even less happy that he was her co-pilot. They had not spoken to each other very much since her return. Lee still was not sure how he felt about her indiscretion with Gaius but he wasn't as angry as he had been. She still seemed to be angry though so he had stayed clear of her. Now it appeared they were stuck on this planet with no way home.

"Okay, I'm ready." Kara interrupted his musings.

"Okay." They began to swim toward the land in the distance. Lee was careful to slow his pace so she could keep up. She had once been a good swimmer but the series of injuries she had suffered in recent months were slowing her down. It took an hour to get to land and she was exhausted by the time they climbed out onto the beach. They needed to stop several times along the way for her to catch her breath. It was possible she had cracked a rib in the crash. She had not said as much but that did not mean anything with Kara.

She dragged herself up onto the beach and laid out flat on the sand. Lee sat beside her for a few minutes and then got up to look around for shelter and supplies. They had nothing with them but a survival kit that he had managed to strap to his belt before they escaped the Raptor – thankfully in a waterproof bag.

* * *

"Kara , I think the sun is going to set soon." She looked at him like he was deluded. "We need to find shelter." Yup, definitely deluded.

"Lee..." She was not moving from this spot. She had stripped out of her flight suit and the warm sand felt good on her skin. More than hour in the water had chilled her to the bone and all she wanted right now was to lie in the sun and warm up.

"Kara, we've got to find shelter before it gets dark…" He looked exasperated.

She still did not want to get up but she saw no reason to piss him off any more. He was right, they had to get along to survive… _Lee's right? Where had that come from? Since when did Kara Thrace think that Lee Adama was right about anything?_ It was taking more effort to get to her feet than she wanted to admit. Her ribcage hurt. Maybe she was bruised or maybe the crash had been harder on her than she had first thought. Her ribs were aching and it was beginning to hurt to breathe.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Lee looked concerned.

"Fine," Kara groaned. She was not going to let him see her like this. If she could just move around a little, everything would be okay. Lee did not look convinced as he offered her a hand up. She accepted and leaned heavily on him to get to her feet.

"Kara…"

"Leave it, Lee." She was decisive – she was not going to allow him to coddle her.

* * *

He was worried but clearly she did not want his help. He wanted to let her rest but the sun seemed to be setting and they had to find shelter and water. He knew she could handle herself but they needed to get off the beach in case the Cylons…

The scream of a Cylon raider rapidly approaching brought Lee quickly back to reality. He grabbed Kara's hand and the survival kit and pulled them toward the tree line. They dove for cover just as the raider strafed the beach with two perfect rows of automatic fire. He grabbed her hand again and pulled her upright. They had to get further from the beach in case the raider came back.

He found a hiding place that had a good view of the beach but was still well within the shelter of the trees. Kara groaned when he pulled her into a cramped area between the roots of a very large tree.

"Ow!"

"Sorry. I thought you said you were okay?" The question died on his lips as the Raider strafed the beach again and flew straight up into the clouds.

* * *

_Well, that's one more advantage they have over us_, Kara thought. Their raiders can beat gravity a hell of a lot better than the Raptors.

She cringed again at the pressure Lee's closeness was putting on her ribs. She was sure that she had cracked at least one now. She would have to tell him sooner or later so he could tape her up. She knew very well from her experiences on the moon that the survival kit at least had tape. The survival kit – do we still have it?

"Lee, do you have the survival kit?" She was beginning to panic when he lifted it to show her. "Oh, thanks gods. Can you look and see if it has any tape?" He rifted through the pack until he found a roll of the yellow tape that had identified her in the raider.

"This what you're looking for?" He smiled.

"Lee…"

"Yeah?" He seemed to be enjoying their current position.

"We're got to get out of this hollow. I can't breathe…" He moved suddenly and she cried out in pain.

"Kara…" He stood carefully and offered her his hand again.

* * *

Lee knew she was in pain when she looked grateful that he had offered. He was worried. It wasn't like Kara to be so subdued. Pain usually made her cranky but he had never known her to be silenced by it. He did not realize the extent of her injuries until now.

"Kara, we need to find shelter." She did not look happy at the prospect of relocating but she did not argue. He took her hand and they moved slowly through the trees of about five hundred paces, then Lee suddenly stopped. "Do you hear that?"

His question broke into her thoughts and Kara looked up. Her primary focus had been on willing away the pain. She stopped and she too recognized the sound.

* * *

**I love cliffhangers don't you? Chapter 3 is on it way...**


	3. Chapter 3

"Water."

"Yep." He grinned. It was the first time he had grinned at her in a long time. It gave her hope. They walked toward the sound and came to the edge of a small clearing. Lee caught her smile out of the corner of his eye and he was glad to see it. Things might be okay between them after all.

Kara looked around the clearing before cautiously stepping out of the forest. It was a beautiful meadow next to a rock-lined pool of crystal-clear water at the bottom of a low waterfall. The waterfall spread across a wall of moss-covered rock. She was relieved to find a place they could rest. Her ribs hurt and all she wanted to do was go to sleep, even if it was on the ground.

"I think we can stay here tonight." Lee's confident-expression reassured her. "I'm going to go check out that cave."

* * *

"Okay." He smiled and skirted the pool toward the cave they had spotted. The entrance was somewhat obscured and he thought they could obscure it more with some cut vegetation if they needed to hide. He would go ahead and get some for tonight in case the Cylons came back.

He looked up at where Kara was standing on the other side of the clearing. She did not look good at all. It was possible that their little tumble had not only cracked her ribs but caused her to bleed internally. He would check her out later no matter how much she protested. He walked back to where she was standing.

"I think this will be good for tonight." Kara looked relieved and they walked together to the entrance. "I'm going to get something to start a fire."

"Lee…" She looked worried.

"Just sit down and I'll be back in just a minute. And hand me that flask, will you? I'll bring back some water and we can test it."

"Lee…"

"I'll be right back." He was already out of the cave. She had been trying to tell him that they had nothing to start a fire with. There were no matches in the survival kit. She did not want him to go to the trouble to gather firewood if they could not light it. She sat down and leaned on the wall heavily. Her ribs hurt and she was beginning to despair. She did not think that they would survive the night, much less until they could be rescued.

_Rescued…. _

Looking for a distraction, Kara decided to empty the survival kit and take stock. She reached for the bag and dumped the contents, doing a silent inventory on the cave floor. Flashlight, tape, a meter for testing _air _and _water_ quality and water purification tablets. A transponder – good, they had that, at least – a thermal blanket and a makeshift first aid kit containing about two-dozen packets of pain pills and a few bandages. Not much, but it was a start.

* * *

Lee came back to the cave a few minutes later. He wanted to get the fire started since dusk was rapidly descending. Kara stared at him blankly as he began to lay out the wood.

"Lee…"

"Yes?" His eyes never left his task.

"We don't have anything to start that with…"

"Yes, we do."

"Lee, there weren't any matches in the…" She stopped when he pulled his father's lighter out of his pocket and lit it with a grin.

"Now I know why these flight suits are made of rubber." He grinned again. "It's waterproof." She shard his grin this time. "Doc Cottle gave me the things dad had in his pocket when he was shot…" Lee drifted off, thinking that he might not see his dad again.

"Lee…" She reached to touch his arm. "We can't think about that right now, he's going to be fine. We have to figure out a way to get home." He didn't know how she could be so positive when she was hurt. She did survive Caprica though, and it was crawling with Cylons.

"I've carried it ever since. I just couldn't bear to put it in my locker."

"He'd want you to have it right now." Kara was right, Dad would want him to have it right now. It would give him incentive to survive and get back to Galactica. She handed him the transponder, interrupting the unsettling train of thought.

"It works."

She really knows what to say, he thought. "Good, I'll scout around tomorrow and try to find a good place to put it."

* * *

Darkness descended as Lee built the fire. When the fire was well-established, he turned to Kara. "Let's take a look at those ribs."

"Lee…"

"Don't argue."

He wasn't taking 'no' for an answer and for once she was glad. She wanted to argue and be difficult but right now it hurt too much to continue. She moaned as she pushed herself into a sitting position.

"Easy now."

"Be quick, I'm not sure how long I can sit up like this." He helped her strip down to her sports bra and examined her as carefully as possible. He did not say anything when he saw the slight deformity on her left side. She has definitely broken a rib and he did not have any way to set it. The rib did not look too out of place, hopefully the tape would move it back into place.

"Yep, I think you've broken a few." He smiled, trying to reassure her.

"No kidding." She smiled back at him but pain immediately returned and the smile disappeared.

"Okay, sit up, and we'll tape you up." She moaned as he wrapped the tape around her ribs to stabilize them.

"Hurry!" She was out of breath and obviously in a great deal of pain.

"Okay, done." He gently smoothed the last piece of tape and helped her lay flat. She groaned again.

"Good." Her breathlessness had him worried. He thought he should offer her one of the pain pills but he did not think she'd take it. Was there more going on her than she was letting on?

Determined to sleep, Kara closed her eyes on a wave of pain. She thought about the pain pills in the pack but she did not want to take one in case they needed them later. She had no idea how long they would be here and they had very few. She finally fell into a restless sleep.

* * *

A cry of pain awoke Lee several hours later. Kara was asleep but she was moaning. He reached for the pack and got one of the packets of pain pills. He was going to make her take one if he had to force her. He grabbed the water and helped her sit up.

"Here, you've got to take one, Kara." She was in too much pain to argue so she quietly accepted his help. He was worried that she would puncture a lung if he did not keep her still. He knew she needed to take care of herself but this was one instance where she was going to have to let him take care of her.

He helped her lay back again and she moaned. He covered her with the thermal blanket and stroked her hair to comfort her. He sat up watching her for until she seemed to be resting comfortably. She was even more beautiful when she was vulnerable like this. He felt like he could see the real Kara. The Kara that was carefully hidden under a tough exterior. _Stop it, Lee_. He had to stop thinking like this. It was only going to get him in trouble. She did not want him, she had made that clear.


	4. Chapter 4

Kara woke up feeling groggy and disoriented. She looked around and tried to sit up and then quickly changed her mind.

"Bad idea, Starbuck," she said to no one in particular as she lay back. She did not remember much after they had made it to the clearing but she did remember the broke ribs.

Where was Lee?

He had to be around here somewhere. He must have given her a pain pill during the night. That would explain the grogginess.

Lee walked into the cave with a big smile. "Good morning!"

How can he smile at a time like this? She did not feel like smiling at all.

"Yeah." She groaned.

"Ah, we must be feeling better today!" There was the smile again. If she could have, she would have hit him.

* * *

Lee was happy. She was cranky. Cranky was good. A cranky Kara was much better than a silent Kara, it meant that she was on the road to recovery. Hopefully he had set that rib right so the doc would not have to re-break it when they got back to Galactica.

"Want some breakfast?"

She glared at him. "How did you get breakfast? There was nothing in the pack."

Yep, she was definitely cranky. Lee took that as a very good sign. She would be back to her old self in no time.

"I'm resourceful…" He grinned and she scowled. "I have an appetizing selection of nuts, a few not-so-ripe berries and a coconut." He held up the coconut, still grinning. That survival course at the academy had definitely come in handy. She scowled but took the offered meal and ate like a starving woman.

They had not eaten since the previous morning on Galactica. Lee knew she was famished. Kara had never been known for missing meals. She had a high energy level and it took a lot of calories to keep her going.

"I'll have to figure out how to trap something more substantial to eat later but I thought you would want to eat sooner rather than later." He smiled.

"Oh yeah." She smiled back. He was happy she approved. It made him happy to please her. Even though they were apparently trapped here, he was happier that he had been in weeks. She was smiling again. It was a big step toward renewing their friendship.

"I placed the transponder on the beach this morning. It's not far but it will be enough of a warning if the Cylons happen to pick it up instead of the fleet." She nodded in agreement.

* * *

Lee was enjoying taking care of her. She had saved his hide many times and this was the least he could do after the way he had treated her before she left for Caprica. Of course, she hated every minute of it but that made him enjoy it that much more. He had even managed to catch a fish on their third day using a handmade net. She did not say anything as it cooked over the fire but he could tell she was starving again. 

He knew a lot about her, which made the one night stand with Baltar that much more confusing. She had made no secret that she hated Baltar. He knew she had been drinking that night but she had not seemed drunk when he left. It struck him that he had left early that night – after Baltar had cut in.

He was quickly reconsidering his earlier jealousy. Kara did not seem to be holding a candle for Baltar and Lee was beginning to wonder what had driven her to him in the first place. They had not talked about it yet but it was only a matter of time. They were trapped here. Sooner or later the subject would come up, Lee would make sure of it.

After two weeks on the island – Lee had discovered that it was an island while he was exploring – they had settled into a routine. Lee was counting the days by marketing them on a tree trunk with his knife. He wanted to keep track of how many days it would take for the fleet to arrive. He had no idea why they had not been rescued yet. Galactica must have run into trouble. He was enjoying this little "vacation" with Kara but they were both getting antsy. Lee was ready to rejoin the flight and he was sure Kara was too.

She had been pretty quiet since the crash thought she was getting stronger every day. She was polite and friendly to him an they worked well together but she always kept their conversations on a superficial level. Lee knew that he had to be the one to bring up the subject of Gaius but he was not sure how to do it. She seemed content and he did not want to make her unhappy. He knew the euphoria could not last.

* * *

Kara was more silent than usual over dinner and Lee knew that somehow he had to talk to her.

"Lee…" He looked up, surprised that she had spoken first. "Do you think…?" She was scared. Now that her ribs were healing she was scared of being trapped.

"I don't know." He answered honestly. There was no point in giving her false hope. She would not appreciate it. She would just think it was a weak attempt to protect her and resent it. Lee was not sure what he could say to her about the possibility of a rescue, he had thought Galactica would be here by now. He knew it was time for them to purge the demons that held them back though. He missed her friendship and these two weeks had been paradise. He had seen her vulnerable and he loved her for it.

Where had that come from?

He had no idea but it sounded good. Maybe he did love her. Maybe that was what motivated his jealousy - he wanted her for himself. He had been such a fool when it came to her. He'd had no reason to be cruel to her, she had slept with other men before and it had never bothered him. But then again, they'd had all the time in the world before. The world was over now. Now they were stranded alone, just the two of them. He had to talk to her. There was no reason to hold back, she could not run away from him now.

"Kara…" She looked up. "I think we should talk about what happened before you left…"

"I don't want to talk about it."

_She's still angry. _"We have to…" _Boy, if looks could kill…_

"No ,we don't!" she ground out. "You let me know exactly how you felt about it, so there's nothing to talk about."

"I didn't mean what I said."

"Which part?"

"All of it. I was jealous and I didn't even know it."

"You didn't even ask how I felt. You just brushed me off like I was a tramp! I slept with Gaius because you left!" Lee froze. "I even called out your name, you stupid bastard! Damn it, Lee, you never even acted you gave a frak!" she stormed off.

Lee waited a few minutes and followed her outside.

"Kara…" he touched her shoulder.

* * *

Kara was stunned at the confession. His words that day had felt like rejection to her. He was jealous? Oh whom? Baltar? He had no reason to be jealous of Baltar. 

"Lee," she turned toward him. "Don't."

"No, let me finish." She was stunned into silence. "I flew off the handle when I figured out that you had slept with him. I know that we really hadn't gone anywhere but I was holding back because I thought you were still in love with Zak and I didn't want to be a replacement for him." He had not known that extent of his own feelings until now but there it was. The truth was out in the open, the rest was up to her. She looked shocked, not annoyed, which gave Lee a lot of hope.

"Lee…" she said hesitantly. "It was never like that. Yes, I loved Zak but it has always been different with you. I've always known you weren't him."

Lee smiled. It was what he'd wanted to hear. "So where do we go from here?"

"Can we start over?"

"Yeah. From here we start with a clean slate."


	5. Chapter 5

Kara got stronger by the day. By the time they had been there for six weeks, her ribs were fully healed and she and Lee were exploring the island together. Their friendship had returned and grown into playful flirtation. Lee knew he loved her now. He had always loved her really but never as much as he did now. He liked this smiling, playful side of her and he had seen far too little of that in the last few months. There were still dark moments but she had left most of the bitterness behind. She was happy and he wanted to be the reason.

The Cylons had not returned but they still had not heard anything from Galactica. He hoped his dad was healed by now and that maybe the fleet could look for them soon. He was not anxious to leave Kara and he certainly did not want to see her bitter again but he missed his dad. He still thought about Galactica a lot but he tried not to mention it to Kara because she seemed to be content. He knew that she probably missed the flight but he had never seen her so relaxed and he did not want to ruin it.

They were walking along the beach when she interrupted his train of thought with sand down his back. He felt her fingers tickling the hair of his neck and turned to grab her.

"You shouldn't start something you can't finish!" They were both laughing now as he wrestled her to the ground and poured more sand over her.

"Well, if I'd known that you liked playing in the sandbox, Lee…" She grinned and flipped him on his back. He had forgotten how good she was at hand-to-hand combat. _She's still one step behind me though_, he thought as he flipped them over again and pinned her down. She was laughing and trying to work her way out of his grasp. He grinned, but as is focus shifted to her lips his-expression grew serious. She stilled and looked at him expectantly. If she did not know any better, she would have sworn that he wanted to…

* * *

She loved him, she had known that since she had come back from Caprica. She had avoided him though. His rejection had hurt badly so she had carefully shielded her heart from him but here there were no barriers. There was no Galactica, no frat regs, no grief or guilt – just them. They could not hide from each other any longer. He pulled away from the kiss just then.

"Kara…are you sure?"

"I've never been so sure of anything in my life, Lee." Those were the words he had been waiting to hear. It wasn't a confession but he could see the love in her eyes. He could understand her reticence and he would win her if he had to – but he was hoping that she would come to him. She loved him, even if she had not said it yet. He touched her cheek. "I love you."

She clung to him then. He loved her. She wanted to lie here in his arms forever. There were here on a perfect beach, lost and yet finally found.

"I love you, too, Lee," She said the words on a whispered breath but he heard them and it was all he needed. He kissed her again with a deep and consuming passion. He had wanted to make love to her for months and now it was finally happening.

Le lifted away from the kiss and lips moved to her neck as his hands roamed her torso, carefully avoiding her breasts.

"Leeeee…" she pleaded, wanting more. He knew what she wanted but he was deliberately denying her. He wanted to savor this moment for as long as possible and enjoyed how turned on she was. He wanted her to cry out his name over and over in ecstasy. Lee brushed his hand over the side of her cloth-covered breast and she gasped and arched against him. He smiled, enjoying her frustrated reactions. It was going to be fun to bring her to the edge again and again.

He brushed the side of the other breast and she opened her eyes and gave him a frustrated sigh.

"Oh, that isn't what you want?" She glared again. He knew good and well what she wanted. Well! She would teach him a lesson for denying her! She reached down then and ran her hand along the edge of his groin. He sighed deeply and brought his mouth down over a hard nipple. She shuddered and her hands rose to pull his lips to her. She had to get out of this shirt, she wanted to feel his lips on bare flesh.

He must have been thinking the same thing because he pulled back just then and moved his hands to the hem of her shirt. She sat up and helped him pull it over her head to reveal the green sports bra. He ran his hands down her side and she shivered. She reveled in his hands on her bare skin. She reached down and pulled the sports bra up and over her head as well.

It was his turn to gasp as she bared her breasts to him.

"Gods, Kara, you are so beautiful…" He was speechless as he lowered his lips to her collar bone and moved his hands to softly cup her. She cradled his head and urged him down. When his lips touched her bare nipple, she arched and cried out in a shuddering tone.

"Oh…Lee…right…yes!" Kara could not believe what he was doing to her senses. Lee was drowning her in pleasure and he was all she could see. He was all she wanted and more. The barest touch from him had brought her to the brink/

He pulled away then, sensing that he had nearly brought her off. He pulled them both down into the sand and spooned against her.

"Leeeee…" she whined.

"Not yet. Just wait a minute, we need to calm down." He was close too. It was nice to know that she wasn't the only one that this was happening to. He was just as into this as she was. _Time for a little payback for all that teasing._ She rubbed her bottom against him.

"Kara…"

"Yes?" She grinned wickedly, feigning innocence.

"We've got to cool off a second."

"Why?" She had an ear-to-ear grin now. She knew she was being evil but she just couldn't help it, it was so much fun to torture him.

She rubbed against him again he could not hold back any more. He flipped her on her back and kissed her deeply. He ran his hands down her body, making sure to touch the most sensitive parts of her. When his hand reached the nest of curls at the apex of her thighs, she was lost. His fingers explored her sensitive folds and when he found her clit, she came…hard.

He smiled, enjoying the sight of her ecstasy. She tried to rest for a minute but he would not relent. He moved his hands back up to her torso and started over again. His lips joined his hands, thoroughly exploring her breasts. Within minutes, she was writhing again as he suckled her. He brought her off the second time and she pulled his head up and kissed him hard.

He moved over her then and she eagerly wrapped her legs around him, anxious to have him inside her. When he entered her, he was lost. She was tight and wet and he wanted to consume her. Her legs were entwined with his and she was moaning with every thrust. It was not long before he thrust hard, pumping his seed into her and collapsing.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear.

"I love you, too." She smiled and hugged him, not wanting to lose the closeness they had found.

Lee had never been so sated in his life. Making love to her was world-shattering. He had never imagined that they could make such an explosive connection. He could not let her go now. He wanted to make love to her every day, to be with her always.

* * *

Kara was feeling much the same. She had not realized that they would combust. She could not believe she had wasted her time with Baltar! He could never replace Lee – or even come close. Lee had possessed her totally. He had touched her soul. No other person had ever done that.

He pulled away from her then and brought them both to a sitting position. He touched her face.

"I love you so much. I don't ever want to lose you." He leaned down and kissed her tenderly. Her heart swelled and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him into an embrace.

"Gods, I love you, too, please don't ever go away." She pulled away from him after a few minutes and they looked at each other and giggled when they realized they were both covered in sand. "So, are you finally going to take me up on that bath?" He laughed.


	6. Chapter 6

After that, he made love to her every day and they slept in each other's arms every night. They swam in the pool at the bottom of the waterfall to bathe and enjoyed each other's company over every meal. They told stories for their pasts and learned every detail about each other. They did not talk about the future though. He was afraid to mention it.

He did not want to alarm her but after five and a half months on the island. He was not sure they would ever be rescued. He had checked the transponder at least once a week and it seemed to be working but it apparently only had a short-ranged signal. Galactica would have to get close to find them and he was beginning to think the chances of that were not good. He could tell Kara was bored but she was not complaining so he did not bring it up.

He wished they could nave salvaged some of the Raptor, he was tired of living in the cave but he did not have any hand tools to build anything. She had not said anything about that either. She seemed to be content with the way things were. Her argument was that at least they had a place to hide if they needed it. If they built anything and the Cylons returned it would be obvious that they were there. At least they could disappear if they needed to.

* * *

He loved the way she laughed and the way that she was more playful now. It was different than the banter they shared in the past, much more intimate. It was the play of lovers. He looked at her now as she was helping him gather more wood to keep the fire going and realized again how beautiful she was.

Kara caught Lee looking and smiled up at him. He loved her more every day. If they ever got back to Galactica he was determined that things would be different. To start with, he was going to marry her as soon as he found a priest.

_Where did that come from_? Lee's mind had wandered to the subject of marriage in a daydream but he liked the idea. He was not sure whether she would however, so he decided to keep it to himself for the moment.

She set the wood she had been gathering down by the cave entrance and smiled up at him mischievously. _Uh, oh. _She was definitely up to something. She came toward him and then sauntered past, brushing her hand across his hip, lingering just a second too long. He turned around as she gave him a sexy smile over her shoulder, calling him with a siren's song. He smiled back and followed her to see what she had in mind.

"Let's go for a swim."

He smiled at the prospect as she took his hand and they walked toward the pool. Swimming always led to other things with her. He delighted at the thought of what was to come. He loved the way he had to warm her up after swimming. The water was usually so cold that her skin got clammy and he loved drying her by the fire. And when she was dry and warm he would make love to her tenderly and fall asleep with her cradled in his arms.

Kara did not seem to have that in mind exactly when she passed their usual spot to swim. She was moving toward the waterfall. She turned and smiled at him again. Lee was intrigued. He liked it when she changed the rules. She pulled him to the water's edge and kissed his mouth teasingly before turning away to undress. He had no idea what she was up to but he was hard already. He stripped quickly and followed her into the shallow are near the edge of the waterfall. She wet her hair and slicked it back before turning to take his hand as he joined her.

"I was thinking that we haven't had a shower in ages…" Kara drifted off as she brought her lips to his again. She pulled him into the edge of the waterfall and kissed him passionately, wrapping her arms around his neck. The water was cold but it was welcome relief to Lee. He was burning with desire for her and it amazed him that could still feel this way after making love to her every day for several weeks now.

Lee took over then, pushing her against the smooth wall behind the waterfall. He raised her leg and wrapped it around him as his lips moved to her neck and collarbone and then to her breasts. Kara sighed and laid her head back against the wall, enjoying his fervor. His tongue found her sensitive nipples as his hands explored her willing body of what felt like hours. She felt weak with desire and held on to his shoulders to steady herself against him. When he entered her, she exploded and cried out and it drove him to the edge of fulfillment. He groaned her name and buried his head in her neck as he came.

* * *

So they went on. They continued to explore the island and he managed to catch small game occasionally to supplement their main diet of fish and whatever nuts and berries they could gather. Usually a fish would serve as both dinner and breakfast but Lee had needed to catch more lately because they seemed to be eating a whole fish in one meal now. He did not think he was eating any more and he certainly was not gaining any weight but Kara seemed to be hungrier than ever. Lee had always known her to have a voracious appetite but she was eating more than usual lately. He had noticed it more and more every time they ate but he did not want to insult her so he did not bring it up. Kara had gained some weight but she looked better than ever to him – she was positively glowing. 

"Lee," Uh, oh. He turned away from what he was doing to face her. She was irritated. She still got irritated from time to time but thankfully it had toned down now that they were together. He wondered what he had done now- he was usually the cause of her irritation. "I have a little problem…" Hopefully her little problem was not a certain former CAG. He approached her cautiously with what he hoped was a neutral look. "I can't seem to get my pants buttoned any more." Oh, good, this was not his fault!

* * *

Kara was exasperated with him again. She seemed to be pretty irritable lately and, since Lee was the only other person around, he got to be the lucky victim. This time her stupid pants would not button. She had been managing to snug into them for a few weeks now but that just was not going to happen today and she was irritated. She was apparently burning a lot more calories not that she was mobile again. That did not make any sense though. If she was burning calories, then why was she gaining weight? She looked at Lee, trying to think of a way to blame him for this and gasped. 

He looked at her questioningly but he still had not said a word.

"Are you still keeping track of the days we've been here?" She had paid attention to his efforts at first but lost interest after the first couple of months.

"Yeah, why?" He looked positively clueless but if Kara's suspicions were correct that look would change to shock.

"Where is it?" He led her to the trees where he had marked every day that passed. He had started with one but they had been here long enough that he had run out of room on the first one. He quickly explained, worried that she would start to despair at the length of time they had been here. He looked up, puzzled by her counting.

"Oh, my gods, Lee, I know why I'm gaining the weight…" He still looked confused. _Leave it to Lee to be dense right about now_. She looked at him impatiently, hoping he'd figured it out but he just raised an eyebrow.

"I think I'm pregnant."


	7. Chapter 7

_Yep, the look definitely went from clueless to shock_. She was not sure whether to feel sorry for him or not. The poor man looked like he had been hit by a truck but they had done this together and the possibility had always been there.

"How do you know?" he whispered.

"Well, it's not like I can run out and buy a home pregnancy test but I've only had one cycle since we've been on this island and that has been awhile. I guess I just wasn't thinking about it until I started gaining all this weight." No response. "Lee, will you say something?!"

"Wow." Yep, definitely shock. Kara was beginning to wonder if he would faint when she delivered. _Uh, no!_ _What about that?_ Kara was not sure she even knew how to deliver a baby. She sure hoped they were rescued by that time but she was beginning to doubt they would ever be rescued. She was just hoping the fleet had not been destroyed, making them the last two human beings left in the universe. She had seen Lee checking the transponder and he had not said anything so it must still be working. At least there was still a chance.

"Kara," he interrupted her reverie. "What are we going to do? I had a first aid class once where they talked a little bit about delivery but I don't know the first thing about babies…"

She looked up at him and laughed nervously. "…and I do? I'm a Viper pilot or at least I was a Viper pilot, Lee. I know combat tactics, not babies." She felt the panic beginning to rise for both of them but Lee quickly came to his senses and pulled her from the edge.

"Its okay, Kara," he pulled her into a sweet embrace. "We'll figure it out somehow. You're an expert at thinking outside the box." She smiled at the comment. She was the one to come up with the wacky battle plans that saved the day – usually.

* * *

Lee was not sure what to think. Kara had just announced that she was probably pregnant. Time would tell if she was but right now he was starting to panic. They had managed to survive but he had not thought about any consequences to their lovemaking. He wanted a family with her- eventually. How could he even think about a family when they were trapped on this island though? _I should have been more careful._ Lee did not know how he could have been, though. He loved her and he wanted to make love to her every chance he got.

A pregnancy was bound to happen sooner or later if they continued to make love, he had simply not taken the possibility into account. He did not know how long they would be here or if they would ever leave and he was not going to deny himself her love until they were rescued. He had finally learned that he had to take a risk to win and Kara's love was worth the risk. So maybe this pregnancy was a good thing. He loved her and he was going to make the most of it.

Kara had mixed feelings about the pregnancy. She was excited but worried. How were they ever going to get home and how would they survive until then? How could she give birth on an island where they had no access to medical facilities? _What if something went wrong?_


	8. Chapter 8

Kara got progressively bigger and more uncomfortable as the days passed. She thought Lee was probably enjoying this a bit too much. He had been really sweet to her, going so far as to give her his boxers to solve her clothing problem but she was still miserable. She was cranky and tired of Lee treating her like some kind of fragile doll.

Kara had no idea how far along the pregnancy had progressed but she could not wait for it to be over! Her back hurt constantly and she waddled when she walked. It was absolutely undignified for a Viper pilot to be in this condition! At this rate, she would never get back into shape to fly again! She was irritated with Lee, this situation was his fault after all!

* * *

Lee could tell not fathom what was going on in Kara's mind but she had been biting his head off for days. He remembered the earlier parts of the pregnancy with fondness. She was beautiful. He loved running his hands over her rounded belly so he could feel their baby moving. Kara had been ecstatic and she had even come to find him when she first felt the baby move. Feeling their baby had made it all real. They were going to have a child soon, ready or not.

Lee was glad they were not on Galactica. At least Kara did not have to watch him fly while she could not. _She would have hated every minute of that._ He would be relieved when she gave birth though. He was trying to be patient but it was more difficult by the day. Neither of them knew when she would deliver but it had to be soon. _Please, gods, let it be soon._ By his calendar, they had been here roughly 10 months and it had been six weeks before he had made love to her. He figured they had two more weeks at least, maybe even longer. _Two week at least!_ It was going to be an eternity.

She woke him out of a sound sleep that night.

"Lee…" It was almost a whisper.

"Hmmm…?" Lee was groggy. He came to his senses and sat up, realizing that he was wet. "What's going on?"

"My water just broke…"

She was trying to pull herself to a sitting position and he had to help her up. It took a minute to register what she had said. "What?" Had he heard her right?

"My water broke."

"But it's not time yet…"

"Apparently, it is." Kara snapped irritably.

Lee was worried. Maybe he had counted wrong but he did not think so. Panic was beginning to set in. They had no medical supplies and the baby might not survive if it was born early. The important thing was to keep her calm. Lee did not want to alarm her with suspicions that the baby was early. He snapped back to reality when she gasped.

* * *

"Um…I think I'm having a contraction." Kara closed her eyes and tried not to cringe. This was going to be harder than she thought. "Lee, does your watch still work?" He scrambled around, searching for and finally finding it after a few minutes. 

"I think so."

"Good." She sucked in a breath again. This contraction went straight to her back. When it let up, Lee moved to help her find a more comfortable place. He led her to the wall nearest the fire, sat down and helped her down to sit between his legs. She leaned back and he put his hands to the side so she could hold them if she needed to. They were in for a long night.

Lee kept the watch by his side and they stayed that way for several hours. Sometime during the night, Lee wet one of his shirts in the pool and used it to keep her cool. By dawn the contractions were coming fast and hard and Kara was beginning to wonder if it would ever end when she felt a distinct urge to bear down. _Okay, so maybe this can happen without a doctor_, she conceded.

"Lee, I think we're going to have this baby now." He was alert all of a sudden.  
"I feel like I need to push."

"You do?" He moved from behind her as carefully as he could and stood up. It took him a minute to spring into action and remembered the little he had learned in class. "Kara, try not to push yet. I don't think this cave is very clean. Maybe we should get you to the pool…"

"Yeah…" she was panting for breath. He helped her up and half-carried her to the pool. Thankfully, the sun had come up now so he could see what was happening. She leaned heavily on him, panting, as he helped her out of the boxers.

"Here." He stepped into the pool and took her hand to help her into the water. She leaned heavily against a rock and braced herself.

"Lee, I need…"

"It's okay now, Kara," He stroked her hair as she bore down.

"Lee…your knife…" Frak! He had sterilized it earlier but he had left it by the fire.

"Be right back!" He sprang out of the water and ran for the cave. She was bearing down again when he returned. "Got it!"

"Good…because…I think…something…is happening." Just then, she felt a sudden pressure and a burning sensation that made her gasp.

"Don't push, Kara!" The baby's head was crowing and he knew he had to be careful. He reached down between her legs.

"Okay, you can push again…gently." She bore down lightly and the baby's head was out. "Okay, hand on." He eased the baby's shoulder out as she pushed again.

"It's a boy! We have a son!"

_Gods, he's going to be unbearable now!_ Kara leaned back with relief as Lee brought the baby out of the water, cleaned out his mouth and cut the cord. She rested for a few minutes and the contraction began again – hard. _Oh, crap!_


	9. Chapter 9

"Uh…Lee…I don't think we're done!" There was the undeniable urge to push again. He stood there stunned for a second when he realized what she was saying. "I think there's another baby…" _Frak! Twins!_ Kara wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry.

"Just a second!" Lee was in full-blown panic mode now. He handed her the now-crying baby and reached for the thermal blanket.

"Lee, I don't think this is going to wait…"

Lee cut two pieces from the blanket and gently took the baby from her. He wrapped their son in one piece and gently laid him on the ground next to them. Kara was bearing down again and within minutes another head had crowned. Lee delivered their second son and announced it with glee. _He is definitely going to be unbearable now! _

The cord was cut and Lee wrapped the second baby in the other piece of the blanket, laying him next to his brother. After he had delivered the placenta, he helped Kara to the shore. Tucking the remainder of the blanket around her, he brought the babies to her and sat down.

"I love you, Kara. You did good."

She smiled at him, relieved and exhausted. "I love you, too, Lee."

* * *

Lee knew he had to move her back to the fire soon but for now they cold rest next to the pool in the warmth of the sun. Kara leaned against a rock and looked at the babies in her arms. When she felt him looking at her, she lifted her head and smiled up at him. 

"They're beautiful, I just can't believe there are two of them!"

Their joy was interrupted by a sound Lee had not heard in more than 10 months.


	10. Chapter 10

Lee did not believe his eyes as a Raptor descended and touched down on the beach! He jumped up and started toward the beach, stopping suddenly and turning back, unsure about leaving them. Kara waved him off, silently reassuring that they would be fine. He ran down their well-worn trail, breaking through the tree line at a dead run as the Raptor's hatch opened and Crashdown jumped out.

* * *

The trip back to Galactica was fairly uneventful. The Raptor jerked slightly as they broke orbit but they had made it and they were now landing. The Raptor's crew was respectfully silent and Lee kept his arm around Kara and their sons for the entire trip home.

* * *

They emerged from the Raptor to a curious deck crew. When Lee stepped through the hatch, he was his dad approaching and grinned. He turned back to help Kara out and laughed out loud at his father's shocked-expression when they climbed out, each carrying a baby.

* * *

"You've been busy, son." William's shock quickly turned to joy that the two of them had finally worked out their differences. And it looked like that 'working out' had borne fruit. He had no idea when Raptor 856 reported a transponder signal that he would not only see his son again but would have grandchildren as well.

William Adama grieved their disappearance when he had been told. He despaired ever seeing them again and it had taken everything he had to deal with the Cylon attack that followed. The Cylons persisted and they had been on the run for months, putting the search for Lee and Kara on indefinite hold. It had taken the crew several more weeks to trace the Raptor's last known flight plan but William would not give up. Roslin balked at first but even she had given up the argument in the end and conceded that the search might be productive if they could find supplies.

A medical crew showed up to take them all to sick bay and Adama gladly followed them, questions for his son shining in his eyes.

* * *

Kara and their son were sleeping when Lee finally emerged from sick bay to his father. 

"Um…hi, Dad," Lee wasn't sure what to say. William grinned and he visibly relaxed.

"How are they?"

Lee hesitated for a moment and said, "Doc Cottle says they were born about a month early but they seemed to be healthy. Kara's pretty exhausted though, so he wants to keep all three of them for observation."

"So, what are my grandsons' names?"

Lee was stunned that his father had come directly to the point. He was even more surprised that there was no hint of censure in his voice. "We haven't named them yet. They had just been born when Crashdown showed up." Lee had totally forgotten about naming them in the chaos of their return. He would ask Kara as soon as she woke up but right now it was best to let her sleep. There would be plenty of time to name the babies later.

"I'm glad you're both alive, son, and I couldn't be happier that you two have finally worked things out." Lee blushed like he had be caught. "Why don't you go back in with them? You can come and talk to me later." With that, he turned to leave.

Lee stood silently, grateful that his father was okay. He had missed him. They had just found common ground again when he had been shot and lee was devastated at not knowing if he was alive for all those months. Now, he would make sure that his dad knew how much he cared. If Lee had learned one thing when they were stranded, it was how valuable family is. His thoughts turned to Kara and their sons.

"Dad…" The elder Adama stopped and turned. "Here's your lighter back." He tossed the lighter and smiled. Lee Adama was glad to be home.

**FIN **


End file.
